a) Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device to adjust the length of cables, of flexible, mechanical remote-controls and the like comprising two mutually adjustable components that can be locked into or snapped into different positions relative to each other.
b) Description of the Related Art
Frequently motor-vehicle cables for couplings or clutches are not made by the automobile manufacturer but instead are supplied by the accessories industry. They must be pre-set in such manner that a minimum of costs shall be entailed during assembly at the plant of the motor-vehicle manufacturer. The cables, which consist of a wire rope and a sheath surrounding it, are fitted for such a purpose with a length-adjusting device which as a rule will change the sheath length. As a rule the cables are supplied to the motor-vehicle manufacture with their sheath length set at a minimum so that the cable ends can be easily hooked into the clutch pedal and the disengaging lever. If the sheath length is initially excessive and if the cable wire can be hooked up only by pre-displacement of the disengaging lever, the clutch might no longer engage. Moreover pre-displacing the disengaging lever is work making tool use practically mandatory. Accordingly a cable sheath less than nominal length must be supplied to the automotive manufacturer. This length deficiency is compensated during assembly in a first adjustment by the length-adjusting device of the initially cited kind, whereby the length of wire rope and of sheath of the cable will precisely match in the assembled state.
The German patent 671,006 describes a length-adjusting device of the initial cited kind which automatically changes the length of a brake linkage using two ratchet connections in the manner of a freewheel. The lengthening of the brake linkage upon brake-pad wear is implemented by actuating the brake, where required several times. However the first brake actuation may not achieve the desired braking. Furthermore operation of this device requires a fixed rest directly supporting this device.